Handle attachment for liquid-receiving containers



Oct. 9, 1956 H. F. BENNYINGTON 2,765,969

HANDLE ATTACHMENT FOR LIQUID-RECEIVING CONTAINERS Filed March 29, 1954 BY .w W

ATTORNEY United States Patent 9 HANDLE ATTACHMENT FOR LIQUID-RECEIVING CONTAINERS Howard F. Bennington, Columbus, Ohio Application March 29, 1954, Serial No. 419,522 1 Claim. (Cl. 224-45) This invention relates to an improved appliance for holding upright cubical boxes or containers, such as those used in the retention of liquids and composed of paperboard or the like, during manipulation of such boxes or containers, as in the lifting or tilting thereof in producing controlled discharge of their contents.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a strong, simple, and easily manipulated holder for ready application to upright paperboard boxes or containers of the type now widely utilized in the commercial packaging of cows milk and various other liquids, whereby to enable such boxes or containers to be conveniently manipulated and at the same time securely retained against accidental dislodgment in the holder.

In carrying out the present invention, my improved holder embodies an upright, side wall-engaging, metallic handle strap which terminates at the lower end thereof in a horizontally disposed base strip passing beneath and supporting the bottom of an associated box or container, the front end of the base strip terminating in a resilient upwardly directed lip which yieldably contacts the front wall of the box or container adjacent to the bottom thereof, whereby to hold the lower portion of the box or container securely but detachably within the confines of the bottom of the holder. The upper portion of the box or container is likewise securely retained by the holder through the use of a loop or ball member, the latter being pivotally mounted for swinging movement over the flap-equipped top of the box or container into resilient retaining engagement with the side walls or panels thereof, the loop or bail member being pivotally mounted in an eye formed in the upper end of a resilient tongue constituting a continuation of the vertical handle strap of the holder and which functions to draw the loop or bail member into firm and positive frictional holding engagement with adjoining box surfaces when the member is lowered to assume its active position of box retention.

For a further and more detailed understanding of a single but presently preferred form of my improved container holder, reference may now be had to the following description and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of my improved holder, an associated box or container of the type to which the holder is specifically applicable being shown by broken lines;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the holder, showing the same when actively mounted on an associated box or container;

Fig. 3 is a detail horizontal sectional view taken through the box or container on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view, disclosing a slightly modified form of my improved holder; and

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the holder disclosed in Fig. 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates a conventional type of paperboard box or container as used by commercial dairies in the retail distribution of milk and other beverage liquids. Such boxes or containers comprise, when assembled and set up for use, an upright cubical body composed of vertical side Walls or panels 2, a horizontal bottom wall 3, and upwardly converging lifting and pouring flaps 4. These boxes or containers are formed in different sizes for the reception in each thereof of a pint, quart, or one-half gallon of liquid milk or the like. Such a liquid-filled container or receptacle represents a considerable weight to be lifted and manipulated, particularly in operations involving the controlled pouring of a liquid from the outlet in the top of each container. Normally such an operation involves the use of both hands of a housewife or operator, this being due to the shape and bulk of the container and the weight of the liquid content thereof. Accordingly, the present invention provides the improved detachable holder, indicated in its entirety at 5 in the drawing, which is adapted to provide a readily applied and convenient means for assisting a user in etfecting controlled manipulation of such containers.

To this end, the holder comprises a generally L-shaped body formed from a flat strip of metal of suitable length which is stamped and die shaped to provide a vertical side wall-engaging section 6 in which is formed, near the top thereof, a handle 7 offset laterally from the adjacent side wall or panel 2 of the box or container. The lower end of the section 6 of the holder terminates in a forwardly and horizontally directed base extension 8 which, when the holder is applied, is arranged directly beneath and in effective supporting contact with the bottom 3 of the associated container. At its forward end the extension 8 terminates in an upwardly directed resilient lip 9 which yieldably engages the front wall Or panel of the container adjacent to the bottom thereof to hold the lower part of the container securely between the section 6 of the holder and the lip 9 after the manner of a stirrup.

The upper horizontally disposed and forwardly directed web 10 of the handle 7 terminates in an arcuate or rounded bearing area 11 which, in turn, terminates in an upwardly extending resilient tongue 12, the latter being normally disposed in angular relation to the vertical plane of the adjoining container wall 2. The extreme upper end of said tongue is formed in this instance to provide an eye 13, and supported in this eye for swinging or turning movement in a vertical plane is one leg of a loop or bail member 14. This member is generally rectangular, conforming to the rectangular configuration of the box or container 1, and the size of the member 14 is such that when the flaps 4 of the container occupy their positions of container closure, the said member may be swung from the inactive elevated position, shown in Fig. 2 by broken lines, to the lowered active position indicated in full lines. In its active position the bail member presses on the front wall of the container and flexes the tongue 12 inwardly toward the container about the bearing area 11. This results in securely confining the upper part of the container between the bearing area 11 and the front leg or length of the loop or bail member, the latter being drawn into firm frictional holding engagement with the front wall or panel 2 of the container, so that accidental or undesired movement of the container relative to the holder proper is prevented, particularly when the container is inverted for the pouring of its liquid contents through the outlet 15 provided by the opening of the flaps 4. As

shown in Fig. 3, the rear legs of the loop or bail member have their contiguous ends disposed in the center of the eye 13, and the loop member may have its operating positions centralized with respect to the handle section of the holder by being formed with the stamped teats 16 or their equivalents.

It will be evident that the holder of the present invention is so formed that it may be readily and securely applied to a box or container of the type shown with convenience and facility. This is done by merely placing the box so that the bottom thereof rests flatly on the base extension 8 of the holder, with the handle 7 thereof arranged vertically and centrally in contact with the back wall 2 of the container and the resilient lip 9 in engagement with the lower central part of the front wall of said container. Then, by swinging the bail or loop member downwardly about its axis of turning movement, as provided by the eye 13 in the upper end of the resilient tongue 12 of the holder, said member may be moved from its raised inactive position to its lowered, hori- Zontally disposed, active position. When thus positioned, the said member is held in firm, frictional, holding engagement with the upper part of the container 1, whereby to unite the latter securely but detachably with the holder in a controlled manner. This permits the container to be lifted and tilted in obtaining a desired outflow of liquid therefrom through its top-formed outlet 15 or in otherwise handling the container, as in moving it from place to place.

It will be understood that the construction of my improved holder is subject to certain modification within the scope and operating principles thereof. For example, in Figs. 4 and 5, the loop member 17, instead of being formed from wire as in the previously described form, may be in the form of a band composed of flat strip material such as that used in the handle section 6 and 7. When so formed, the eye 18 for the swinging reception of the member 17 provides an opening which, as shown in Fig. 4, is substantially triangular in its cross-sectional configuration. Such configuration will allow sufiicient turning movement on the part of the member 17 in moving the same between a raised container-inserting or removing position and a lowered container-holding position. Various other changes may be resorted to from time to time without departing necessarily from the scope and spirit of the invention as the same have been'defined in the following claim.

I claim:

A handle-providing attachment for semifiexible milk cartons and the like comprising a strip-like, generally L-shaped body of integral one-piece construction formed with a flat base web terminating at one end in a relatively short, upwardly and inwardly directed, resilient lip and at its opposite end in an elongated, generally perpendicularly related and upwardly extending side web, said side web intermediate the ends thereof being formed with a laterally offset handle and terminating at its extrerne upper end in a looped eye, said base web, said side web and said resilient lip defining at the lower end of said body a generally U-shaped stirrup for the frictional reception and support of the bottom portion of a milk carton; and a generally rectangular bail member pivotally carried by the looped eye of said side web for at least limited swinging movement in a vertical plane, said bail member being arranged upon attachment of the lower end of said body to a milk carton to be swung over and to encompass the upper end portion of such carton in a manner supporting the latter for tilting and pouring movement through forces imparted through said handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 914,725 Jonah Mar. 9, 1909 1,166,209 Hoffman Dec. 28, 1915 2,308,744 Buys Ian. 19, 1943 2,344,186 Upham Mar. 14, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,793 Great Britain 1909 

